Patrick Ebel is in his third year overseeing the Nittany Lion throws contingent, following a highly successful campaign during his first two years with Penn State.

2014 Recap...The 2013-14 year featured four All-America finishes, including two First Team All-America performances.

In 2014, Will Barr continued to add on to his school record performance in the weight throw. At the 2014 Big Ten Indoor Track & Field Championships, Barr posted a mark of 70-6.5 in the weight throw to place fifth at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Barr garnered First Team All-America honors with his eighth-place finish in the weight throw (69-9).

During the 2014 outdoor season, Michael Shuey and Laura Loht took over the top spots in the Penn State record books in their respective javelin events. Shuey started the year in sixth all-time in the men's javelin and Loht was third all-time in the women's javelin.

At the season-opening, Crimson Tide Invitational, Shuey won the javelin throw with his mark of 238-6, which moved him into second-place at Penn State. His school record toss of 249-5 wouldn't come until Aug. 9, 2014 at the 2014 U-23 NACAC Championships. On his final toss of the event, Shuey recorded a mark of 249-5, which gave him the gold medal and a new school record.

Loht's school record toss of 178-6 also occurred on her last throw as well. At the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Loht recorded a distance of 178-6 to give her the school record and fifth-place at the NCAA meet. With her fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships, Loht was named a First Team All-American for the third time in her career at Penn State.

Also at the 2014 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Melissa Kurzdorfer placed ninth in the hammer throw (205-6) and Darrell Hill finished 15th in the shot put (62-9.5). Both were named Second Team All-Americans.

The Penn State throwers enjoyed success at the 2014 Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships as Penn State claimed three individual titles. Shuey won the men's javelin title, Hill won the men's shot put with his lifetime-best mark of 67-6 and Kurzdorfer won the women's hammer throw title with her distance of 198-6. As a group, the Penn State throwers had three Big Ten champions, four medalists and 12 student-athletes score points at the 2014 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

For his performance at the 2014 Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Hill was named the 2014 Big Ten Outdoor Athlete of the Year and Athlete of the Championships. Hill's mark of 67-6 ranks second all-time in the Penn State record books.

2013 Recap...In 2013, Ebel wasted no time in making a mark in the Penn State record books, leading then-junior Will Barr to a record-setting indoor season in the 35-lb weight throw. Barr set the Penn State standard in event on a total of five occasions, ending the season with a lifetime-best toss of 69-11.75 (21.33) at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Barr's PR effort was good for sixth place at the NCAA meet, where he became the Nittany Lions' first All-America finisher in the event since 1998.

Ebel guided the Nittany Lions to continued success outdoors, led by a four-five finish by javelin duo Laura Loht and Lauren Kenney at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Under Ebel's watch, Kenney and Loht dominated the javelin throughout the outdoor season including a Big Ten victory from Kenney and a Penn Relays title by Loht.

At season's end, the Nittany Lion pair held the second- and third-best efforts in Penn State history with Loht finishing the season with a PR 177-8 (54.15) at the USATF Senior Championships and Kenney posting a toss of 177-3 (54.02) on the season. Both tosses were ranked among the top-10 efforts by American throwers in 2013.

Ebel's charges posted one of the more impressive efforts during the Nittany Lions' women's team title run at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, as the Blue and White scoring 23 points in the women's javelin alone. Kenney and Loht led the way with a one-two punch on the podium, while fellow Nittany Lions Melanie Leszcynski and Megan Boyer added fifth- and eighth-place finishes, respectively.

Including Kenney and Loht, Ebel coached a total of five Big Ten medalists on the year, along with Melissa Kurzdorfer, Darrell Hill, and Michael Shuey. Kurzdorfer, who would also earn USTFCCCA Honorable Mention All-America status in the discus and the hammer on the year, picked up her second-straight conference runner-up finish in 2013, taking second in the hammer throw. Hill and Shuey both turned in their first-career Big Ten podium finishes, posting third-place efforts in the shot put and javelin, respectively.

Hill and Shuey - both in their first year with the Nittany Lions - enjoyed banner years in their respective events. Hill recorded a toss of 62-9.25 (19.13) - the fifth-best effort in Penn State history, as well as a top 10 throw by a collegian in 2013.

Shuey emerged as one of the top javelin throwers in the Northeast as a freshman, turning in a lifetime-best effort of 230-6 (70.27) at the NCAA Eastern Preliminary Round. Shuey's PR was the sixth-best effort in school history and was also the top effort by an American Junior (19-and-under) during the outdoor season.

Ebel added an outstanding class of recruits for the upcoming season, including Pennsylvania Gatorade Track and Field Athlete of the Year Jon Yohman. Yohman - the PIAA Champion in the shot put, and runner-up in the discus in 2013 - comes to Happy Valley with PRs of 62-1 in the shot, and 189-6 in the discus. Ebel also successfully recruited instate-javelin standout Cole Proffitt in his first year with the Nittany Lions, as well as Ohio State shot put champion Alyssa Robinson.

Prior to Penn State...Ebel, formerly of Division III powerhouse, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, was hired to lead the Nittany Lion throws contingent in August of 2012. Ebel enjoyed an outstanding coaching stint at UW-Oshkosh, coaching nearly 150 NCAA Division III All-Americans in the throws as well as 34 NCAA Champions.

Since his arrival at UW-Oshkosh in 2001, Ebel has maintained one of the most prolific throws contingents in the NCAA. His event area was ranked number one in Division III since he arrived. Statistically speaking, 24 of his Titan throwers were ranked on the all-time NCAA Top 10 lists. All told, Ebel's athletes set UW-Oshkosh records on 43 occasions.

Ebel also left a mark on the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), having coaching a grand total of 66 conference championships, and 14 WIAC record holders.

The Nittany Lion assistant's resume is also covered in coaching awards, as Ebel was named USTFCCCA Division III Indoor Coach of the Year in 2011. The WIAC Coach of the Year on three occasions, Ebel was voted USTFCCCA Midwest Region Men's Assistant Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2011, while also earning the National Throws Coaches Association Coach of the Year award in 2009.

Outside of their athletic success, Ebel's athletes have also been outstanding in the classroom, as his women's squad earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors in 2011 with 10 athletes gaining academic honors individually during the same year. As a head coach, Ebel also led the Titan women's squad to USTFCCCA Division III Deb Vercauteren Women's Cross Country/Track and Field Program of the Year Award for 2009-10.

After joining the men's and women's program as an assistant coach, Ebel was elevated to Head Women's Track and Field Coach in 2009, while remaining as an assistant coach on the men's side. Prior to his time at Oshkosh, he got his start in collegiate coaching at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1999.

Ebel graduated from UW-La Crosse in 1992, where he was a member of the football and track and field teams. Ebel and his wife, Sandy, have two children, Lauren and Erik.